Irradiating apparatus



y 1951 A. ElKLlD 2,551,319

IRRADIATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 29, 1947 arm/0014100.;

Patented May 1, 1951 IRRADIATING APPARATUS Arvid Eiklid, Oslo, Norway Application December 29, 1947, Serial No. 794,270 In Norway November 19, 1941 Section '1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires November 19, 1961 2 Claims.

This invention relates to irradiating apparatus having a ray source for emission of ultra-violet rays, and a resistor in series with this ray source and so arranged that the rays emitted from the resistor also can be utilised.

A number of different constructions of irradiating apparatus of this sort are known. A disadvantage of many of the known constructions is that the resistor is so arranged that it is accessible from the front side of the apparatus. This is dangerous to the user of the apparatus, causes danger of fire and produces a great risk of injury to the resistor. It is known to employ a grating, arranged in front of the reflector to eliminate or reduce this danger. However, this involves a reduction of the efficiency of the apparatus as the grating wires form an obstacle to the radiation from the resistor as well as from the primary source of rays.

Another construction is also known, where these disadvantages are avoided by placing the resistor behind the reflector which co-operates with the other ray source. In this way the employment of a grating is avoided. This known apparatus comprises a holder for a ray source in the form of a common electric lamp, a reflector arranged behind this ray source, behind this reflector a resistor which is coupled in series with the said ray source and, finally, a larger reflector arranged behind thi resistor. The projection in the ground-plan of both reflectors used in this apparatus has the form of a circle.

This invention relates to an irradiating apparatus where the ray source for emission of ultra-violet rays consists of an elongated discharge tube, and consequently also the reflector which co-operates with the discharge tube is of elongated form. In the apparatus in accordance with the invention the resistor which co-operates with the discharge tube is arranged behind this reflector as in the above-mentioned known apparatus. However, while the resistor of the known apparatus is arranged centrally behind the reflector, it is in the apparatus in accordance with the present invention arranged between one of the long sides of the reflector and it axial midplane, while the reflector which co-operates with the resistor is arranged somewhat behind the resistor and approximately parallel to the reflector first mentioned, and displaced in the direction vertical to the long sides of the reflector first mentioned, so that the rays reflected from the reflector behind can pass by that of the long side of the foremost reflector which is nearest to the resistor, and further in the direction of the object to be irradiated.

By this unsymmetrical arrangement of the resistor the apparatus can be constructed es entially smaller than when the resistor and its cooperating reflector are arranged directly behind the reflector of the discharge tube. In the abovementioned known embodiment, the symmetrical construction of the apparatus can be used as the source of the short-wave rays approximates a point or at all events is of very small physical dimensions so that its co-operating reflector also can be made small. In an apparatus where the source of the short-wave ray consists of an alongated discharge tube, the reflector which cooperates with the tube must be of essentially bigger dimensions and the arrangement of the resistor directly behind the reflector will meet practical difliculties.

The already mentioned advantage of the arrangement of the resistor for heating behind the reflector for the primary ray source is that here it is not easily accessible from the front side of the apparatus. So the resistor does not represent any danger to the user, and it cannot easily be injured. In addition to this it is found that an easier ignition of the discharge tube is obtained when the resistor is mounted in its immediate neighbourhood. This efiect is supposed to be due to inductive effect brought about by the resistor.

The invention comprises a series of further features which will be seen from the following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, of an embodiment of an irradiating apparatus in accordance with the invention.

Now, referring to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 shows, on a somewhat greater scale, a vertical section of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 shows an electric circuit diagram of the apparatus.

The apparatus comprises as usual a cover, consisting of a front wall I, a rear wall 2 and end walls 3. The front wall forms in the usual way a reflector 4 in front of which the discharge tube 5 is fastened by means of fastening screws 6.

In accordance with the invention, the front wall I now is extended from the upper side of the reflector 4 to form an open frame I which is fastened to the rear wall and end walls of the cover. The frame 1 encloses a rectangular open ing 8 through which hot rays are emitted in a way which will be seen from the following.

Inside the upper part of the cover, behind the opening 8 is arranged a special reflector 9 which extends from the upper end of the rear wall 2 of the cover, in the immediate neighbourhood of this Wall for some length, and then is bent inwards in the direction towards the front wall. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, one part 19 of the reflector 9 is corrugated.

The reflector 9 extends below into a part II which is bent to form a semi-cylindrical pocket. In this pocket, near the front wall I, is arranged an elongated block 12 made from insulating material. This block has grooves, in which resistor wires [3 and M are placed. These wires are stretched in a direction parallel to that of the discharge tube 5. The resistor wires l3 are connected in series with the discharge tube and form the usual series resistor.

The hot rays emitted by the resistor 13 will be reflected by the reflector 9 out through the opening 8 mainly in the same direction as that of the rays emitted from the lamp and reflected by the reflector 4. In this way the resistor 13 with which the apparatus is equipped in any case is utilised for warming up the skin of the person to be irradiated.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, besides the usual series resistor i3, the additional resistor 19 is provided which is connected in parallel with the tube, and which can at will be connected in series with or in parallel with the resistor 13. The resistor is is conveniently so dimensioned as to emit only infra-red rays when connected in series with the resistor 13, and to emit both red and infra-red rays when connected in parallel with the resistor 13.

The circuit diagram of the described irradiating apparatus is shown in Fig. 3. The discharge tube 5 is here, as can be seen, connected in series with the resistor I3, and can be connected to the mains by means of the plug 16. The resistor 14 is connected in parallel with the tube and can be connected at will in series'with, or in parallel with the resistor I3 by means of a switch 16 with two contacts I1 and 18. By means of a switch I9 the resistor [4 may be disconnected from the circuit.

20 denotes an induction coil which is used for ignition of the discharge tube. 21 is a push-button contact for closing the primary circuit of the induction coil. The induction coil and connection wiring are housed in the lower part of the cover but are not shown in Fig. 1.

-I claim:

1. Irradiating apparatus, comprising in combination, a source of ultra-violet rays comprising an elongated discharge tube, an elongated reflector arranged behind said discharge tube so as to reflect rays therefrom in the direction of an object to be irradiated, an elongated resister connected in series with said discharge tube and arranged behind said reflector, between one longitudinal side thereof and an axial mid plane passing through the reflector, and a second elongated reflector parallel to said first-mentioned reflector, said second reflector comprising a portion arranged to extend partially around the resister behind the first-mentioned reflector, so as to reflect rays emitted by the resister in a direction towards said longitudinal side of the firstmentioned reflector, and a portion extending from behind the resister to a point beyond said longitudinal side, so as to reflect rays from the resister past the said longitudinal side of the first-mentioned reflector in the direction of the object to be irradiated.

2. Irradiating apparatus, comprising in combination, a casing having an elongated reflector arranged to partially close the front thereof and provide an elongated opening in the casing adjacent said reflector and parallel to one longitudinal side thereof, a source of ultra-violet rays comprising an elongated discharge tube arranged in front of said reflector, outside the casing, so as to enable raysirom the discharge tube to be reflected by the reflector in the direction of an object to be irradiated, an elongated resister inside said casing arranged behind said reflector, between the said longitudinal side thereof and an axial mid plane passing through this reflector, and a second reflector comprising a pocket portion arranged behind said first-mentioned reflector to extend partially around said resister and reflect rays emitted by the resister in a direction towards said longitudinal side of the firstmentioned reflector, and a portion extending from said pocket portion beyond said longitudinal side so as to reflect the rays from the resister through said opening in the direction of the object to be irradiated.

ARVID EIKLID.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 894,166 Rogers July 21, 1908 1,881,262 Conradty Oct. 4, 1932 1,994,311 Fritze Mar. 12, 1935 2,072,205 Halpern Mar. 2, 1937 2,198,770 Goodrich Apr. 30, 1940 2,327,340 v Furedy Aug. 24, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 26,105 France July 30, 1923 305,788 Great Britain Feb. 14, 1929 

